Chelsea in talks to sign £84m “monster” after Delap

The summer transfer window is officially open for business in a bizarre change that sees Chelsea able to make signings between now and the tenth of June.

With the Club World Cup being played between the middle of June and the middle of July, a new transfer window has opened to give teams a chance to bolster their squads for the tournament before the second and main transfer window opens up.

Chelsea are already putting work in to improve Enzo Maresca’s options heading into the competition in America, with Liam Delap closing in on a move to Stamford Bridge.

Journalist Ben Jacobs reports that the England U21 international started his medical on Monday with the club ahead of a move from Ipswich Town.

The £30m release clause in his contract with the Tractor Boys potentially made this an easier deal than it could have otherwise been, as they did not have to negotiate and haggle with the Championship side.

Whereas, other signings this summer may be harder to get over the line due to the competition for top talent, as was the case when they signed Eden Hazard back in 2012.

How Chelsea won the race for Eden Hazard

In the summer of 2012, there was a race on to sign the Belgium international from Lille after he had delivered 20 goals and 18 assists in 38 matches in Ligue 1 during the 2011/12 campaign.

Due to his incredible form with Lille in France, Hazard was one of the hottest young prospects in European football, which meant that there was plenty of interest in his services, but it was Chelsea who landed his signature.

The Belgian starlet explained his decision, saying: “When they won the Champions League I told myself, ‘Why not Chelsea?’ There was a struggle between Chelsea and [Manchester] United but, for me, Chelsea has the best project. It’s a wonderful club.”

His comments show that the club’s success, beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, played a significant role in his decision to make the move to Stamford Bridge, instead of joining Manchester United.

Hazard, of course, then went on to produce 110 goals and 88 assists in 352 appearances in all competitions for the Blues during his time in England, before signing for Real Madrid in 2019.

This proves that he was a player who was well worth putting the effort in to beat other clubs to his signature that summer, because he went on to deliver goals and assists at an exceptional rate in the Premier League over seven years.

Chelsea could find a Hazard repeat this summer, now, by winning the race to sign another highly-rated young forward from one of Europe’s major leagues.

Chelsea leading race to sign £84m forward

BILD reporter Christian Falk, speaking to Caught Offside, has revealed that Chelsea are leading the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt talent Hugo Ekitike in the summer transfer window.

The German journalist claims that the Blues are already in talks with the player’s representatives about a move to Stamford Bridge, and that they could soon seriously pursue a deal for the striker.

Falk told CaughtOffside: “Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal were previously considered the top favourites for Hugo Ekitiké. But the three-man competition has now turned into a two-club battle.

“At the moment, Chelsea, who qualified for the Champions League in fourth place, hold the best cards in the Ekitiké poker. Chelsea are already in dialogue with the player’s side and could soon get serious.”

This latest update suggests that Chelsea are the frontrunners to sign Ekitike, who is reportedly valued at around £84m, in the coming weeks, despite interest from two other top teams in England.

Why signing Hugo Ekitike could be an Eden Hazard repeat

The Blues could be getting flashbacks of their deal to sign Hazard because it would be another move for a highly-rated young European talent amid competition from some of the best teams around, and it would be off the back of winning another European trophy.

Ekitike’s quality also suggests that the potential is there for him to follow in the Belgian’s footsteps to become a star for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for many years to come if they can get a deal over the line for his services this summer.

The 22-year-old starlet ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of 22 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt, which is not entirely dissimilar to Hazard’s haul of 20 goals and 18 assists for Lille before his move to England.

Writer Sam McGuire described Ekitike as a “shot monster” and a “genuine goal threat”, and those comments are backed up by the France U21 international’s output in the Bundesliga this season.

As you can see in the table above, Ekitike ranked incredibly highly among his positional peers in the division for taking shots, finding the target with his shots, and generating high-quality chances.

A non-penalty xG of 0.18 per shot also shows that he takes high-quality shots in front of goal, rather than being wasteful with long-range or low-value efforts.

Ekitike’s haul of 22 goals for Frankfurt also means that he scored at least seven more goals than every player in the Chelsea squad in all competitions, which suggests that he could immediately improve Maresca’s team by offering a huge threat at the top end of the pitch next season.

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Cole Palmer ended the campaign as the top scorer with 15 goals to his name, and the Blues could now repeat their Hazard blinder by signing this French star to be their main man in front of goal for many years to come.